1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing system, an image processing apparatus and a method for controlling the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, office networking has been developed among many companies. More specifically, it is becoming common to build an office system in which office automation (OA) equipment including a personal computer (PC) and a multifunction peripheral (MFP) are connected with each other via a network to share and use the MFP according to intended use. In many cases, the MFP is equipped with a storage device. The storage device stores various types of data including personal setting information of the user (e.g., address book for transmission and individually customized information) and printing data.
Conventionally, the MFP has optional functions that are not available in an initial state of the product. Such optional functions can be available for a user paying an extra cost. One of methods for providing the optional function is giving a license.
When a license or authorization is given, a part of functions which is previously invalidated in programs stored in an MFP is validated. Thereafter, the function can be used as an optional function. Such an optional function includes a web browser function, a copy-forgery-inhibited pattern printing function and a direct print function. License information for validating the optional function is also stored in the storage device.
As another method, the optional function may be provided by using an application program (hereinafter referred to as an application). More specifically, an application program is additionally installed in the MFP to add the function later. Recent printer apparatuses (image processing apparatuses) have been equipped with a mechanism (function) for downloading a program which operates on a platform, typically JAVA® and Linux®, from a communication line such as a network and storing the program in the storage device to use it.
When a failure occurs in an MFP in which various types of data and license information are stored and an application has been installed, these data, license information, and application cannot be used. In this case, a user tries to alternatively execute the application on another MFP. It takes much time to manually transfer the various types of data and application to the other MFP. Further, if the failure occurs in the storage device which stores the various types of data and application of the MFP, the application and data cannot be transferred. Thus, the application cannot be executed on the other MFP.
A conventional technique for storing backup data in a server on a network is discussed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-215594.
Another conventional technique for storing backup data in a storage device equipped in another MFP in an office system is discussed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-23617.
However, according to the above-described techniques, only the data is backed up, in a case where a failure occurs in the MFP or in the storage device equipped in the MFP. Thus, a user (or a service engineer) needs to manually restore the license information and application of the MFP whose main body (or storage device) is in a failure state, in another MFP as an alternative apparatus.